A's News Clips, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Oakland A's: Gio
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A’s News Clips, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 A’s News Clips, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Oakland A's: Gio Gonzalez turns tables in offseason, becomes teacher instead of pupil By Joe Stiglich, Oakland Tribune PHOENIX -- A's left-hander Gio Gonzalez spent part of his offseason tutoring high school pitchers at his alma mater. It's hard to tell who benefited most from the experience -- the teenage pupils or Gonzalez. "It was an addiction," said Gonzalez, who helped lead Hialeah High (Fla.) to state baseball titles in 2001 and 2002. "I didn't want to leave. I was there from like 3 to 6:30 at night with these kids. My dad's been calling me up a lot, telling me how they're doing." How ironic to hear of Gonzalez dishing out wisdom, since he's often been on the receiving end of such conversations in the A's clubhouse. It's been a group effort to push the right mental buttons with Gonzalez, 25, an excitable personality who had trouble corralling his emotions on the mound early in his career. He enjoyed a breakout 2010 season, going 15-9 with a 3.23 ERA in his first full year in the major leagues. Gonzalez was especially tough as the season wore on, as his 2.53 ERA from June 21 until season's end (a span of 19 starts) was third- lowest in the American League. He went from being a raw product to one of the most dependable starters in an A's rotation considered among the majors' best. "He knows what he does well, and he knows what he needs to work on," fellow starter Dallas Braden said. "That's huge for a pitcher. Not letting ball one affect you. Not letting the hit you gave up affect you." One major league scout said Gonzalez enjoyed success last season while relying predominantly on just two pitches -- a mid- 90s fastball and an outstanding curveball. If Gonzalez can continue improving his changeup, the scout said, he'll become even tougher. But Gonzalez must reduce his walks. He issued 92 in 2010, second-most in the AL. Braden and Gonzalez were often seen chatting before Gonzalez's starts last season. In 2009, it was veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera who was Gonzalez's main clubhouse counselor. In turn, Gonzalez stressed the mental side of the game to pitchers at Hialeah High. And he acknowledged that the advice he gave was advice he's just now learning to apply. "All it was, was trying to build up their confidence," Gonzalez said. "It's going out there and having fun." Gonzalez is heavily involved in community work in Hialeah, a city of 200,000-plus residents located just outside Miami. This past winter, he organized a charity softball tournament and got several current and past big leaguers to participate, including San Diego Padres outfielder Cameron Maybin and former Marlins and White Sox pitcher Alex Fernandez. Aside from working with the Hialeah High team, he played in the school's alumni game in January, pumping 92 mph fastballs at some of the players he coached. "A couple guys got hits off him," Hialeah pitching coach Jonathan Hernandez insisted. Hernandez, a friend of Gonzalez's since early childhood, was impressed with the time Gonzalez devoted to the team. "It's phenomenal how someone like that gets to the big leagues and doesn't forget where he came from," he said. "It says a lot about his character, coming back to Hialeah and giving back to his community." A's notebook: Closer Andrew Bailey gets good news on arm injury, can resume throwing when pain-free By Joe Stiglich, Oakland Tribune Closer Andrew Bailey was diagnosed with a strained right forearm and can resume throwing when he's pain-free, according to a statement released by the A's on Tuesday. That's good news for the team and its two-time All-Star closer, as an MRI showed no swelling or structural damage in his elbow, according to the statement. For now, it seems to indicate no need for surgery. Bailey left Monday's game against the Cleveland Indians after throwing a pitch and clutching at his elbow. He traveled to Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday to be examined by Dr. James Andrews. Bailey declined to comment on the news, saying he thought he first should return to Phoenix and talk with the A's staff. "Obviously, you hold your breath when a guy leaves the mound," A's general manager Billy Beane said. "The positive thing is that we got concise, quick information and a specific diagnosis. And this diagnosis is strangely welcome, albeit that this will set him back a bit." Added manager Bob Geren: "After yesterday, that's as good of news as we could expect." Sixteen days remain until the A's season opener against the Seattle Mariners, and once Bailey resumes throwing, he will require time to rebuild his arm strength. There seems a good chance Bailey begins the season on the 15-day disabled list, with Brian Fuentes acting as closer. With Bailey and Joey Devine (biceps soreness) not guaranteed to break camp with the team, a "bubble" guy such as left- hander Jerry Blevins and someone unforeseen could snatch one of seven bullpen spots. Reliever Michael• Wuertz (right shoulder) made his Cactus League debut with a scoreless seventh inning in an 8-1 split- squad loss to the Chicago Cubs. He said he's confident he'll squeeze in enough games to be ready by opening night. Left-hander• Brett Anderson went 52/3 innings and allowed one run in his best outing of the spring. Pitching coach Ron Romanick noted Anderson is busting right-handers inside with his fastball more instead of relying solely on his slider. Geren praised• fifth-starter candidate Brandon McCarthy, who allowed two runs in 52/3 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Switch-hitting shortstop Cliff Pennington (left shoulder) batted right-handed for the first time this spring and lined an RBI single. Chin Music: Bailey diagnosed with strained forearm — news could have been worse for A’s By Joe Stiglich, Oakland Tribune, 3/15/2011 4:53PM Here’s a few updates following the A’s 8-1 loss to the Cubs. … –The team issued a release saying closer Andrew Bailey was diagnosed with a strained right forearm, and that he can begin throwing again when he’s pain-free. Bailey was examined Tuesday in Alabama by Dr. James Andrews. He had no swelling or structural damage, which means surgery isn’t in the cards as things stand. That’s relatively good news for the A’s and Bailey, who looked to be in considerable pain when he left Monday’s outing against Cleveland. “While there’s no timetable for his return, this is welcome news,” A’s GM Billy Beane said in the release. –Fellow reliever Michael Wuertz (right shoulder) made his Cactus League debut with a scoreless seventh inning. He gave up one hit with one walk and one strikeout, mixing in fastballs, sliders and changeups. “It was nice to get out there in a game situation,” he said. “I had to battle to get out of that inning. Overall, it was a positive outing for me.” He’s confident he’ll squeeze enough games in to be ready by opening night. –Left-hander Brett Anderson went 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run and three hits in his best outing of the spring. The only damage came on Brett Jackson’s solo homer in the sixth. “I got five or six ground balls on my changeup, which is good,” Anderson said. The lefty said earlier in the spring that he’s inclined to throw his slider rather than experiment with a changeup he doesn’t feel real comfortable with. But pitching coach Ron Romanick is stressing the importance for all A’s starters to utilize their change. “You’ve gotta have that third dimension to be a front-line starter, especially in the American League,” said Romanick. He noted that Anderson is also busting right-handers inside more with his fastball instead of solely relying on his slider. –The A’s dropped their other split-squad game 4-3 to the Kansas City Royals in Surprise. Right-hander Brandon McCarthy was solid in 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He struck out four and walked none, continuing to make a strong case for the fifth starter’s spot along with Tyson Ross and Bobby Cramer. The other No. 5 candidate, Josh Outman, pitches Thursday against the Cubs and needs to turn around his fortunes to remain in the conversation. Shortstop Cliff Pennington started against the Royals and had two right-handed at-bats, lining an RBI single up the middle in one of them. It’s the first time Pennington, a switch hitter, has hit from the right side in a game this spring as he’s coming off shoulder surgery. Andrew Bailey's injury diagnosed as a strain Susan Slusser, Chronicle Staff Writer Andrew Bailey might not be ready to go to start the season, but even so, the A's were feeling good Tuesday about their All- Star closer, who was diagnosed with a forearm muscle strain rather than a more serious ligament injury. "Obviously, you hold your breath when a guy leaves the mound. We all held our breath," A's general manager Billy Beane said. "The positive thing is that we got concise, quick information and a specific diagnosis, and this diagnosis is strangely welcome, albeit that this will set him back a bit.